Is the 500-year-old surgical robot the hope to change the next ten years?

From humanoid robot to surgical robot

The history of surgical robots can be traced back to more than 500 years ago.

Da Vinci's mechanical design

The time came in 1985.

In 1980, with the maturity of endoscopy and artificial pneumoperitoneum technology, laparoscopic technology gradually emerged in the United States.

In 1998, Computer Motion in the United States carried out a series of transformations on the basis of Aesop, and upgraded it to a complete surgical instrument robot system-the Zeus system.

Zeus created two systems-Surgeon-side and Patient-side.

The prototype of the Da Vinci surgical robot was a project developed by the former Stanford Research Center (SRI) for the US Army in the 1980s.

The Da Vinci system consists of three parts: a doctor control system, a three-dimensional imaging video platform, and a mobile platform composed of a robotic arm, a camera arm and surgical instruments.

The surgeon observes the operation area through the camera, and uses the foot pedal and the hand lever to operate the robotic arm.

Da Vinci surgical robots are widely used, suitable for general surgery, urology, gynecology, cardiovascular surgery, thoracic surgery, etc.

Expanding range of applications

Surgical robots can be divided into operation robots and positioning navigation robots according to the type of technology, and can be divided into soft tissue robots and hard tissue robots according to the type of surgery.

Because surgical robots allow surgeons to obtain higher magnification vision and finer operation capabilities, some operations that are difficult to complete under laparoscopic surgery can be completed under surgical robots, even simpler than open surgery.

Vascular interventional surgery is an important method for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

With the intensification of social aging, the market demand for orthopedics continues to increase.

Neurosurgery robots, which belong to the same positioning and navigation robots as orthopedic robots, mainly assist doctors in performing neurosurgery operations such as biopsy, deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and stereotactic electroencephalography by accurately positioning the location of brain lesions.

Tools for changing doctors in the next ten years

Surgical robots have opened a new chapter in minimally invasive technology, which is of epoch-making significance.

Surgical robots have the following advantages:

(1) High magnification and finer anatomy: Surgical robots can provide 10-15 times magnification, making the operation more delicate.

For example, compared with laparoscopic radical gastric cancer surgery, robotic radical gastric cancer surgery has more thorough lymph node dissection.
Obese patients benefit more from lymph node removal, while avoiding side damage to adjacent tissues, which is conducive to promoting the recovery of patients’ gastrointestinal tract function.
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(2) Filtering hand tremor, making the operation more flexible: On the one hand, the use of the mechanical arm can prevent the tremor of the lens and provide the surgeon with a better surgical field; on the other hand, the 540° rotation can make all kinds of digestive tract anastomosis.
It is carried out under manual conditions, thereby reducing the use of staplers and saving costs.

(3) Extend the working life of the surgeon and improve the efficiency of the doctor: On the one hand, the robot can filter the tremor, so that the older surgeon can still perform the operation.
On the other hand, laparoscopic surgery requires the main knife, a helper, and a hand mirror to complete the operation, while the robot only needs the main knife and assistant.
At the same time, the main knife can sit and perform the operation, thus saving the doctor's physical strength.

(4) Remote surgery is possible: With the development of communication technology, in the future, doctors are expected to perform surgical operations through the remote console of surgical robots, which will benefit more patients.

Disadvantages:

(1) Extended operation time: Most operations of robotic surgery are performed by the surgeon alone, and the assistant is mainly assisted by the patient's bedside.
However, with the continuous promotion of robotic surgery and the continuous updating of technology, the time of robotic surgery in the future may be significantly shortened.

(2) No feedback from the instrument: Compared with laparoscopic surgery, the touch of the robotic arm cannot be transmitted to the operator's fingers, so there is a certain risk of tissue tearing in robotic surgery.

(3) High cost: The cost of starting and maintaining the robot is high, and most of the robot operations have not yet entered the medical insurance.

(4) Preoperative preparations are more complicated: At present, Da Vinci robotic surgery requires half an hour to 1 hour of preoperative preparation, and the time cost is relatively high.

Overview of existing surgical robots

In general, as an innovative device in the surgical field, surgical robots have some technical difficulties in practical applications, but they cannot conceal their ability to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of surgical operations, expand the scope of resectable lesions, and have great possibilities.
Great advantages in reducing surgical damage and other aspects.
For patients, it means shortened operation time, less trauma and higher curative effect.
With the continuous improvement of software and hardware performance of surgical robots, and the continuous empowerment of robots by technologies such as AI, AR, VR, and 5G, surgical robots will definitely become more humane and intelligent.

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